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Show CHURCH DOES TIE HANDjyt ITICS Letter From First Presidency Discloses This Fact Beyond Be-yond Question. IT WAS SENT TO A PROMINENT DEMOCRAT Was in Answer to Query Regarding Re-garding Politics, and Is Yery Frank. The claim that tho Mormon .church docs not tajto any hand In politics Is being mado so persistently by tho present authorities au-thorities of that commercial Institution, that any bit of past history is refreshing which brings to tho peoplo proof that the church In dealing with tho affairs of Its pcoplo does not fall to include political "counsel" with tho rest In 10DO a prominent promi-nent Democrat of Utah wrote to the president pres-ident of the church on some political matter. mat-ter. Tho nnswer Is horewlth produced. Tho letter, dated December 2i, 1M0, Is as follows: The Letter. "Dear Brother: Yours of tho 18th Inst, to President Snow Is received. President Snow rcgrctfl Very much that ho should bo called upon to consider the business of your communication, as It Is something which Is very distasteful to him. Ho feels, too, that It Is iulto tlmo that every member mem-ber of our church understood perfectly that no officer of the church Is authorized to uso what Is called church lnlluenco In politic, and ho Ib of tho opinion that this Is the general understanding. However. hp ucsircs mo to say to you mat no may tnko this matter up on tho return to the Stato of his counselors, Presidents Cannon Can-non and Smith, but not before, his stato of health being quite poor In consequence of severe cold. Yours, etc. "GEORGE F. GIBBS. "Secretary." "Would Look Into It. Although tho matter In tho communicn-catlon communicn-catlon to which the above wne tho answer an-swer was very much regretted and distasteful dis-tasteful to the president of tho Mormon church, yot instead of turning It down cold, tho Democratic politician In question ques-tion was Informed that "tho matter may bo taken up on the return of tho counselors." counsel-ors." Although he thought It qulto tlmo that every member of his church understood under-stood perfectly that no officer of the church Is authorized to uso church lnlluenco ln-lluenco In polltlcfl. ho would proceed to lnvestlguto whether or not this understanding under-standing would remain or be removed. When Understanding: Is Inoperative. Perhaps the president of tho church was Justified in saying that no officer of tho church was authorized to uso what is called church Jnfluciico In politics, but ho should havo added that this rulo was Inoperative In-operative when tho officers wero ordered to mix In at tho request of their superior. super-ior. Few officers would attempt to exorcise ex-orcise their power In politics without getting get-ting aboard tho official train. Moses Thatcher tried It and discovered that It took flrst-clasd transportation to travel fnr, no posses bolng accepted. This letter let-ter Is an Interesting Illustration how tho gospel chiefs keep away from such distasteful dis-tasteful things as politics. A fnc-slmllo of tho letter appears herewith: II TROOPERS FACE A COURT-MARTIAL Answer to Charge of Having Failed to Report for Camp Duty. i , Two members of Troop A, N. G. U., faced tho court-martial board at tho armory ar-mory last evening on tho charge of having hav-ing failed to report for camp duty. Frank' M. Varlcy and Leo Chnmbcrlaln woro the alleged guilty ones. , Arrangod With Geog-hegan. Varley pleaded not guilty, offering as an excuse that hlH employed had mado arrangements ar-rangements with acting Adjt--Gcn. Geo-ghegan Geo-ghegan for him to be excused from going to camp. A conference with Adjt.-Gen. Geoghegan will probably be held n-s soon as tho latter returns nnd the caso la , scheduled to como up before tho board afaln next Saturday. Chamberlain Left State. Leo Chnmberlnln also pleaded not guilty. guil-ty. In tho cxhaustlvo testimony of his caso ho staled that ho left tho Stato a few davs after ho enlisted. In May 1M3, hut before doing so lie npplled for his discharge. Ho said he had never received a notification of his dlschargo nor an order or-der to attend the encampment. An effort will bo mado to havo C;ipt- Calne of Troop A present tomorrow night, to testify testi-fy In Chamberlain's case; If this cannot bo arranged, tho matter will go over until Saturday night. |